Carotid angiography in a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia.

The carotid angiographic studies performed in a teaching hospital (King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh) in Saudi Arabia were reviewed, and the incidence of lesions demonstrated was analysed. Intracranial tumours accounted for 50% of the lesions, with meningiomas being 40%, whilst arteriovenous malformations accounted for 5.9% of lesions. It was noted that the incidence of atherosclerosis and arteritis was low, and the examination was almost without complications. Some lesions supplied by vertebral arteries were missed. In view of this, vertebral angiography is advocated in those cases with suspected supratentorial tumour especially when the carotid angiograms are normal.